Between the Lines
by StereotypicallyAsian
Summary: The way he worded things was...unusual......Reds oneshot.


She sat quietly under her favorite tree; knees hugged tightly against her chest as her slow breaths matched the silence around her. Her auburn locks floated gently in the direction of the wind, partially concealing her already hidden face.

But as peaceful as she seemed unaccompanied, it was evident her thoughts were clouded. Her mood seemed to match the gloomy weather.

Despite their rivalry (opposition, hatred- whichever floats your boat), he couldn't help but wonder why she was so down. Not that he…cared. I mean…she could sit all by herself, depressed, for all eternity, and he wouldn't mind. Not at all.

Which brought the question to mind-why exactly was he walking towards her cheerless form? Psh, probably to annoy the living daylights out of her…or…or throw reckless insults at her until she'd cry. You know, what he usually aimed for.

His standing figure cast a shadow over her, though she remained in the same position. She didn't seem to notice, let alone bother to see who dared to approach her at the time. Instead, she sighed deeply, the sound of her gasp filling his ears.

He debated for a while, whether he should speak up first of wait 'till she'd ask (coldly) why he was there. Because that's usually how it'd go. Then…insults would be thrown back and forth…but this time was different. Oddly different…

"What happened; ditched?" those harsh words slipped out before he could control them. He smirked triumphantly, though the smug look on his face faltered as she looked up at him.

The way he worded things was…unusual. Requests would come out as orders when it came to his brothers, while compliments were usually hidden behind intimidating words whenever impressed by something "greater" (if possible) than him. Regardless who it was, confidence was always evident in his tone.

…It was different with her though. By force of habit, his words were always harsh towards her- but every time she'd look at him (angrily or dejectedly), guilt would wash away the words into some type of (subtle, of course) apology. So what was he to do? He wouldn't date be…nice. Not especially to _her_.

"Why are you here?" she croaked, her reaction surprising him the slightest bit. He shrugged, taking a step forward and lowering himself to her level before responding.

"I dunno," he started. "Nothing else to do…nowhere else to be."

'_I wanted to see you.' _Yeah, that's better. So why not?

Right, it's a pride hing.

She turned away from him, seemingly not wanting to further the conversation. But he went on anyway, much to her dismay.

"What's with the pouting? You look even _uglier_ than usual." he asked haughtily. She threw a nasty glare at him, only causing the smug grin to grow.

Translation: _'You look upset; where's the (happy) pretty face I know?'_

"Why do you care?" she spat.

Another smirk.

"Because it wasn't me who caused it."

Translation: _'Because I care about _you_.'_

She rolled her aggravated eyes at his arrogance. How she wished she had the nerve (at the moment) to tell him to piss off, sparing the rest of her dignity and saving the depression for later. But another part of her- strangely- found his company reassuring, and to some point, comforting.

"So, you gonna tell me the genius who caused this?" he looked at her sincerely. "I'd like to encourage whatever it is he's doing."

Translation: _'So, you gonna tell me which knucklehead messed with you? I'll gladly beat him to a pulp.'_

For a moment, he mused, her eyes brightened at his sudden concern. It wasn't like him after all to wonder or bother what was up with her- out of all people. To put it bluntly it wasn't like him to care about anybody at all. Normally her mind would wander over it, but seeing as he was still talking to her, she pushed it aside.

"Just a lot going on," the redhead replied. "School, friends, family, crimes, the pressure of all this responsibility is really stressing and-"

"Hey," he cut her short, earning a puzzled look. "I asked what's up, not for your whole life story."

Translation: _'Slow down; you know I catch on slowly.'_

She hesitated for a minute before replying callously, "You know, it's conversations like these that really show your asshole…ness…!" she finished, scowling.

"Oh, feisty," he grinned suggestively, having her cheeks turn a cute pink shade. "And I think you mean awesomeness," he answered cockily.

"No, Brick, I'm pretty sure when I said asshole-ness," she paused awkwardly at her new word, "I _meant_ asshole-ness."

He chuckled lightly (cutely, might she add), before resuming. "Why worry? You've always been such a nerd anyway." he sighed, leaning back against the tree.

Translation: _'You've always been really smart, I'm sure you'll figure something out.'_

She doubtingly cocked an eyebrow, confused. So now he was being encouraging…? If anything, the RowdyRuffs were…well…_dis_couraging…rude, bossy, jerks- just as Mojo intended them to be.

"Yeah," she looked down, the pretty shade of pink returning to her cheeks. "Well, juggling all the pressure is harder than it seems. I mean, with all the accountability I'm trusted with, I barely have time to breathe." she mentally raised an eyebrow at her own analogy.

"Ha, well feel free to stop breathing anytime!" he joked, somewhat lightening the mood.

Translation: _'You should relax; not everything is _your _responsibility.'_

"Hm…I guess I'm not obliged to everything that goes on," she realized as if she had read between the lines. "…like the fact that my sisters are dating _your _brothers." she shuddered, realizing what she had brought up.

"Y-yeah…it's messed up." he looked down.

Translation: _'I guess that leaves you and me…'_

She turned to him, smiling brightly, earning a questioning look. "You'll laugh, but…" she hesitated. "You can be…rather sweet when you open up."

"Me? Sweet…??" He merely snickered in response. "Good one, Red."

She rolled her eyes again at him. "You're such a jerk." she accused playfully.

"Anytime," he returned smoothly.

Translation: _'Why, thank you.'_

She laughed softly at that as they slipped into an awkward silence. But it was a good time to reflect on their previous 5 minute conversation. It surely gave Blossom the silence she needed for denial against her feelings towards Brick. The peace, however, was shattered as she dismissed herself.

"I have to go…" she uneasily broke the silence, attempting to stand up.

"Hey," he called out lastly before she could leave. She looked back, inquiringly. "I still hate you." he told her; his tone joking, but his face dead serious.

Translation: _'I love you.'_

She smiled after realizing what he really meant. "I still hate you too." she took off.

* * *

HAHAHAHA I bet you didn't see that coming pplz. But it was a dare/request from a friend, and I haven't updated anything in a while, so why not...? Not very specific: it could be original show or anime...probably any age too...idk.......

Lolz, review!! XD

FilipinaChick57  
(...I think I'll change my name again, haha..........)


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